Electroplating apparatus.



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PATEN'TED JUNE 25, 1907. D. F. BRODERICK. I ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS APPLICATION FILED AUGJO.' 1906.

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anciana? No. 858,059. PATBNTED JUNE 25, 1907. D. F. BRODERIGK. ELEOTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLIOATION FILED AUG.10.1906.

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@Nona m I No. 858,059. y PATENTED JUNE 25, 1907.

D. P. BRODBRIGK. ELEGTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10. 1906.

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@Nannini No. 858,059. PATENTBD JUNE z5', 1907, D. F. BRODBRIGK. ELECTROPLATING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION FILED AUG. 10, 1906.

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vfor the purpose stated, which sha1 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

DAVID FELIX BRODERICK, OF NEW BRITAIN, CONNECTICUT, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO LEWIS SPERRY, OF SOUTH WINDSOR,'CONNECTICUT.

ELECTFIOP-LATING APPARATUS.

Specification of y:Letters Patent.

Patented June 25, 1907.

Application filed August l0, 1906. Serial No. 330.046.

T0 all whom t may concern: t

Be it known that I, DAVID FELIX BRODER- IoK, a resident of New Britain, in the county of Hartford and State of Connecticut, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Electroplating Apparatus; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, Asuch as will enable others skilled in the artl to which it appertains to make and use the same.

My invention relates to improvements in electro-plating apparatus and more articularly to dipping mechanism,the o ject of the invention being to'construct the apparatus in such manner that the full extent of an endless carrier for the work, can be utilized in subjecting the work to the various baths employed in the' art of electroplating,-the a paratus being so constructed and operated tffat the work to be plated ca'n be started from a given point or station and. made to -return thereto, said work being deposited successively into the various baths during its travel from the starting station and back again.

A further object is to provide an a aratus e continuous in o eration, simple in construction and effectua in the accomplishment of the pu oses for which it is designed.

ith these objects in view, the invention' consists in certain novel features of construction and combinations and arrangements of arts as hereinafterV set forth and pointedout m the claims.

In the accompanying drawings: Figure 1 is a side elevation of an apparatus embodying my improvements; Flg. 2 1s a sectlonal view on the line -'of Fig. 1; Flgs. 3 and 4 are 'detail views showing the connection of the work holder with the carrier; Fig. 5is a detail view illustrating the construction of the ,carrier chain; Fig.' 6 is a detail' sectional view illustrating the carrier chain, idle wheel and work-holding bar of the carrier Fig. 7 is a detail view showing the attachment of the contact brushes to the shank of 'the work holder; Fig. 8 is a view of the driving sprocket wheel.

l 1, 2 illustrate super osed platforms, which may be two floors o a building, and from each of these latforms (or the sup ortin timbers thereoig, a series of hangers 3 epen The hangers below eachplatform or floor are arranged inl pairs spaced apart laterally and serve as supports for two pairs of stringers, 6. These stringere serve as supports for wheels, 4, 5, over which two endless carrier chains 7, 7, pass,-said carrier chains passing over the entire series of wheels on the upper and lower stringers and through openin s 8, 9 inthe platform 2. The two carrier c ains are connected at intervals by cross bars 10, which support work holders adapted to travel success1vely through a series of tanks 11 ontlie platform 2 and then through a series of tanks 12' on a lower floor or platform 1, and finally back to the starting point.

In the drawings, I have shown four tanks located on the platform 2 and three tanks located on the lower platform 12, although a greater or less number of tanks may be employed for containing the various bathslwhich it may be desired to use.-

The carrier (consisting of the two carrier chains with the interposed cross bars 10), pass first over wheels 5 and then descend-and pass about wheels 4, thus causing the work form 2, and it'will then pass tothe lower se ries of wheels 4, 5 and over them in the same manner, in order to immerse the work inthe baths in the tanks on the lower platform 1,- the work on the carrier finally reaching the starting point. The work maybe removed from the carrier after passing through all of the baths, either at 13 on platform 1 or at 14 on latform 2. The work may beI attached to t e carrier at either-` 13 or 14, or it may be loaded at 14 on the upper platform 2 or at 13 on the lower platform 12 and, during its travel, the work will be treated in all the baths necessary to accomplish' velectro-platin and the full extent of the carrier will be uti ized. The carrier maybe driven by means of suitable gearing connected with the sprocket wheels 15.

Each carrier chain comprises two sets of links' 16, 17 pivotally connected together by `hinge pins 18, the members of the inner links IOO being spaced apart on the hinge pins by means of collars 19, which run on flanges 20 on the wheels 4, 5, while the links of the chain run at respective sides of the peripheral llanges 20, thus preventing lateral displacement of the carrier chains as they pass over the wheels 4, 5. The hinge pins of the carrier chains extend beyond the outer faces of the links and carry rollers 21, which engage notches 22 in the sprocket wheels 15, the links ofthe chain entering between the flanges of said sprocket wheels. The rollers 21 also serve to support the carrier chains on trackways 23`which are employed over the long tanks,-no trackways being necessary to support the carrier while it is passing over the shorter tanks. The hinge pins 18 are also provided at their iniier ends with extensions 25, on which the cross bars l() are supported. Each cross bar may conveniently consist of a short section of pipe, notched at its respective ends to permit it to be readily placed upon the extensions 25 of the hinge ins. p As before stated, the cross bars 10 serve as a means of attachment of the workholders with the carrier. Any suitable work holder 26 may be used and is provided with a shank 27 provided at its upper end with a hook 28 to engage the cross bar 10. In order to prevent lateral displacement of the hook 28 on the cross bar, collars 29 may be secured to said cross bar at respective sides of the hook.

While I prefer to provide all of the hinge pins of the carrier chains with the extensions 25 for the reception of cross bars 10, it will of course' be understood that only such number of cross bars and work holders will be employed as may be desired by the operator.

Certain of the tanks will be provided with anode plates as usual in the art of electroplating, while the work will constitute the cathode.

In order to provide suitable electrical connection with the work, conductor bars 30 are secured u on a suitable wooden frame on the tanks and3 contact brushes 31 are secured to the shank ofthe work holder and adapted to wipe against said conductor bars-the shank of the work holder being constructed or covered with metal in order that it shall constitute an electrical conductor from the bars 30 to the work.

Various kslight changes might be made in the details of construction of my invention without departing from the spirit thereof or limiting its scope and hence I do not Wish to limit myself to the precise details herein set forth. i

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

1. In a plating apparatus, the combination `withtwo series of tanks, one series disposed above the other, of an endless carrier, meansfor causing said carrier to travel over both series of tanks, means for suspending work holders from said carrier, and means for causing the carrier to rise and descend to dip the work successively in the tanks of the upper series and then to dip the work successively in the tanks of the other series when the work carried by the carrier is traveling toward the starting point, whereby the return travel of the carrier can be utilized in the plating operations.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of two parallel carrier chains, wheels on the pins connecting the links of said chain, trackways on which said wheels run, a tank below said trackways, cross bars mounted at their ends on connecting pins of the respective carriers, work holders having Shanks hung on said cross bars, and means for preventing lateral displacement of the work holder Shanks on the cross bars.

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with parallel carrier chains, cross bars removably mounted at their ends on pins of the respective carrier chains, work holders, and shanks for said work holders having hooks removably supported on said cross bars.

4. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with wheels having lateral flanges and a central peripheral ange, of a carrier chain, rollers on the pins of the carrier chain to run on the lateral flanges of the wheels, collars on said chain to run on the central flanges of the wheels, a sprocket wheel having recesses to receive the rollers on carrier chain, and means for connecting a work holder with the carrier chain.

.5. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with two carrier chains and wheels-over which said chains pass, of cross bars removably mounted on pins of said chains at intervals, and work holders suspended fronisaid cross bars.

6. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with two carrier chains, each comprising links connected by hinge pins, said pins having inward extensions, and wheels over which said chains pass, of cross bars mounted at their ends on the inward extensions of the hinge pins of the two chains, and workholders suspended from said cross bars.

7. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination with a series of tanks and a flexible carrier over the same, of work holders, each having a shank connected with the carrier, means for raising and lowering the carrier, conductor bars over said tanks, and brushes carried by the shank of the Work holder to wipe against said conductor bars.

8. In an apparatus of the character de- `scribed, the combination with a tank and anode plates therein, of a carrier to travel IOO IIO

over the tank, trackways on said tank, roll- In testimony whereof, I have signed this ers on the carrier to run on said traokways, specification in the presence of two sub- 1o means ifor suspendnvlvork from lsiaid carrier, scribi'ng witnesses.

means or raisin an owerin t e carrier to raise and lower te work, oondctor bars su D AVID FELIX BRODERICK ported over the tank, and brushes on t e Witnesses:

work-supporting means andadapted to wipe R. S. FERGUSON,

against said conductor bars. GEO. F. DOWNING. 

